REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH Non-Profit Org. 1401 6TH STREET SW US Postal Paid WILLMAR, MN 56201 Permit No. 370 (320) 235-4685 Willmar, MN 56201 redeemer@redeemerwillmar.org www.redeemerwillmar.org

7/16 Address Service Requested

In Touch With Redeemer Sharing Christ and Changing Lives

2016

IN TOUCH WITH REDEEMER A newsletter by and for the family of Redeemer Lutheran Church

Volume XXVI, Issue VII

Let us rejoice and thank the Lord for answering our prayers by sending Pastor Matthew Canion to be our Pastor. Yes, our wait has been long but God has His reasons and in time His will is done. Now we need to be ready to welcome him and his family into our midst. We need to be

renewed in the Spirit as together we commit ourselves to making Disciples in Willmar, Minnesota, and on into the whole world. Let us do it as Pastor Lutz indicated in his book “Sharing the Faith with your Muslim Friend”. The first rule he says is be friendly. Welcome the Visitor, the Guest sitting in the pew with you. Encourage them to add their address to the Red Book during the offering, so that we can reach out to them. Introduce them to other members of Redeemer and so enable them to be part of God’s worshipping family.

Be ready for action. Let us not be like the people in Sunday’s Gospel lesson, Luke 9:57-62, who seemed have all sorts of excuses why they could not follow Jesus at that time. Let us put aside all excuses for neglecting worship, for failing to volunteer, and instead quickly answer, Here am I, send me, use me!

Pastor Kruse **************************************************************************************************** This is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody would do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody, when actually Nobody asked Anybody.

In the BODY of Christ all the different parts fit together. When there is a job to be done and each part works as it should, the whole BODY grows and builds itself up through love. (Eph. 4:16)

Lt Jason & Emily (Ansorge) Geddes 724 West Princess Anne Road Norfolk, VA 23517 Grandchildren of Virginia Ansorge ET5 Brianna Runke Electronics Technician Hopper Information Service Center Suitland, Maryland Brianna is the niece of Dave & Carol Runke

Major James Nelson Orthopedic Surgeon at Ft. Benning, Columbus, GA Parents are Wayne & Laurie Nelson CW3 Jeffery Nelson Chinook helicopter maintenance test pilot at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, TX Parents are Wayne & Laurie Nelson

MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS & SERMONS ON THE WEBSITE www.redeemerwillmar.org

PLEASE NOTE: The stoves in the kitchen are shut off to conserve gas. Call the church office 24 hours in advance if needed.

Please keep the church office current on all contact information when moving, changing home or cell numbers, and email addresses. The church is charged a fee every time the post office informs us of an address change.

HOSPITAL INFORMATION: If you ever have the misfortune of having to spend a day or more in the hospital, you or someone you know may need to call the church. The hospital may ask you your church affiliation, but they do NOT notify the church office.

CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES…

SHOES FOR MISSIONS: School is out and it’s time to kick off your shoes and slip on the flip flops! Bring your tennis and other shoes (except flip flops) to church and put them in the blue tub by the Social Hall. They will be taken to Lutheran Island Camp and sent on to help people in third world countries get a shoe business started. Please either tie or rubber band your shoes together if possible.

LEFT-HANDED COMPLIMENT A father was trying to explain the creation to his son as they walked through the woods. “Son, God made all of this--every single leaf on every single tree.” “Yes, Dad, I know,” the boy responded. “And he did it all with his left hand!” “With his left hand? Where did you ever hear such nonsense?” “My Sunday School teacher read it to us from the Bible,” the boy replied. “It said that Jesus was sitting on his Father’s right hand.”

In Christ Alone “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:20-21 As I am writing this we are in the midst of VBS week. It is hard to get anything done beside register kids, sing and write our nightly skit for VBS much less a newsletter article, but Lori, our wonderful church secretary (she really is the best), says I have to write one and turn in this week so “I press on towards the goal” (little Philippians pun). In two short weeks, 27 of our Youth and 6 adult leaders will be traveling to New Orleans, LA for the 2016 LCMS National Youth Gathering. Final preparations are coming together and the kids and adult leaders are getting excited to go on this trip. The LCMS NYG happens every 3 years and is an event that shows youth and their adult leaders a view of the church at large and what it really means to be in a Christian community. It has been an important part of my life attending my first gathering in Atlanta, GA under the theme “Called to Be”, which was one of the moments that sparked me wanting to be in ministry full-time. The gathering theme for this year is “In Christ Alone” and is based out of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In 4 short chapters, Paul shares with the church of Philipi his own personal story, encouragement, the message of Christ, and builds up others. All the things we as Christians do (or should be doing) each in everyday within our own circles and the people we encounter. But enough from me I asked some of our youth and adult leaders to share what they are most looking forward to about the gathering.

“Seeing our Willmar group worshipping in a different setting and in different ways. Making memories with them and of course sweating” Leann Stauffenecker “Growing together in Christ with my friends” Ethan Gustafson “I look forward to spending time with my friends as we take on Louisiana as a church body” Lauren Wubben “I am looking forward to the new places and things we will see” Isaac King “Growing my faith, making stronger connections with our youth, and watching others grow in Christ” Jon Friton “The overall experience of going some place new and meeting people” Ethan Friton “I am looking forward to seeing the sights of New Orleans and becoming closer to my church family” Korissa Lindquist

We as adult leaders want to thank Redeemer congregation for all of their support physically and financially. You can have the opportunity to be a part of this great event as all of the mass events will be streamed live over the internet. Just go to www.lcmsgathering.com on July 16, 17 18, 19 @ 8:30 pm to watch and on Wednesday morning July 20th at 9:30 am for the Worship service. Please continue to keep us in prayer as we prepare for and travel to this event. In Christ Alone, Cassie Drenkow, Director of Christian Education

SUMMER: Parades, parades and more parades! That is what quite a few Redeemer youth families will tell you summer consists of in June at least. Redeemer KMS youth are privileged to be able to participate in the Marching Band. As a parent watching these youth this summer I have come to realize that church and state are not so separate with this year’s performance. Their theme is “Heroes” especially WWII heroes. You may have watched the band at the Willmar Fest Parade. If not you can see them at Spicer’s 4th of July parade or Town and Country Days in Kerkhoven July 30th. Here is a paraphrase of what the director created for the performance: “I wanted to depict the journey of a World War II soldier, who I view as the heroes.” So Summon the Heroes is the first song that portrays soldiers going off to war, followed by Sing, Sing, Sing to represent the end of the war and soldiers coming home and finally Taps, to honor the sacrifice of the soldiers. Two iconic photos of that era were recreated during the show: one of the soldier kissing the woman on V-J Day and the other of the flag raising on Iwo Jima to give both honor and hope. Also watch for the authentic hats the honor guard is wearing from the different branches of the service. And the flag that is used for the Iwo Jima stance is a 48 star flag which is accurate for the time. As parents, we were as usual just excited for the season and the success our kids enjoy. But I for one was not quite ready for the impact this show would have. I should have been as I was well aware of the director’s objective this entire year in preparation for the Pearl Harbor remembrance: To help the kids honor and respect the sacrifice made by every armed force member out there- active or not. I saw vets rising when the flag came out and I saw many tears. I experienced quite a few chills myself. It is a moving show. But when our kids unprompted moved to shake hands with a WWII vet in Alexandria I knew they were getting it too. Dr. Gess was at his home where the Saints ended the parade. Mrs. Diem- who loves to play for the nursing homes- had the kids play the fun part of the show for him. But then after talking with him more found out he was a WWII vet. She then had the band do Taps. That was when the band members each took a turn to thank him. I believe it was a God-moment. Faith, service, gratefulness, compassion are attributes we pray each day our children will exemplify. Well done!! These are the Redeemer youth who served:

Amiah Akerson- Trumpet solo playing Taps Molly Jeppesen- Colorguard in a red dress Sarah Jeppesen- Clarinet but currently on the injured list Kolby Lindquist- Tenor Saxophone (in front of the Tubas) Tessa Grewe- Flute Cora Gleason- Flute Zoey Jorschumb- Flute Grandchild of Neumann’s: Emalea Edberg- flute And a few Preschool Alumni: Megan Tollefson, Hannah Rosenboom, Haley Jaspersen, Dustin Gary, Elizabeth Mansfield and Owen Overcash

In Christ, Rachel Jeppesen

JULY 2016

ELDERS

GREETERS

ACOLYTES

SOUND

LIBRARY

July 3 8:00 AM

Communion 10:30 AM

Mark Sellmann Ron Jaspersen Wayne Dahlke

Doug Jorschumb

Gene & Rose Meyer

Trudy Hemingway Bonnie Rhoda

David Reyes Eryn Sasse

Mike Mikkelsen

Jacob Meyer

Bonnie Rhoda

July 10 8:00 AM 10:30 AM

Stan Skaro

Ron Jaspersen

Jeff & Cheryl Pitt Gayne & Marvelle Stone

Jerry & Betty Schleh Nancy Klaassen

Quiana Christenson

Wayne Dahlke Jacob Meyer

Anita

Petersen

July 17 8:00 AM

Communion 10:30 AM

Dave Runke Mark Sellmann

Neil Buboltz Leon Schultz

Lyle & Vera Ehrenberg John & Marlys Eggen Troy & Lisa Anderson

Doug & Renee Jorschumb

Rebecca Wubben Crisstill Duaso

Mark Boeschen

Darrell Hoekstra

LaVonne Van Zee

July 24 8:00 AM 10:30 AM

Jeff Kimpling Wayne Dahlke

Luther & Peggy Dykema Jeff & Darla Kimpling

Gary & Mary Hillenbrand Leon & Carole Schultz

Tucker Helfinstine

Jacob Meyer

Brad Marcus Kolby

Lindquist

Michelle Marcus

July 31 8:00 AM 10:30 AM

Michael Sandau Ron Jaspersen

Don & Birdie Urban Bill & Deb Paterson

Marlin & Cheryl Niss Loren & Judy Schultz

Kaitlin Mogard

Zoey Jorschumb

Mike Mikkelsen

Darrell Hoekstra

Sarah Fosso

USHERS 8:00 AM *Don Ryks, Craig Nissen, Stan Skaro, Dick Zetah (* Head Usher) 10:30 AM *Ron Jaspersen, Randy & Melissa Mord

Sunday/Wed Attendance Adults Sr. High Children Communion Private June 5 290 34 - - 229 June 12 210 12 - - June 19 200 15 - - 184 June 26 227 9 - -

TOTALS 927 70 413 30

In by Transfer: Margaret Marsh Out by Death: Marian Werder

JULY MUSIC SPOTLIGHT! This month check out the songs that the NYG kids will be hearing

at the gathering at http://lcmsgathering.com/songs/

You Are Good Nothing But the Blood

All the People Said Amen Crown Him with Many Crowns

Let me Count the Ways Thank You Lord

We Believe In Christ Alone

“THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS”

For JULY we will be collecting “Snacks” for our troops. Beef Jerky – Nuts – Raisins – Granola Bars – Microwave Popcorn – Tuna

Hard Candy – Licorice – Canned Ravioli/Beef Stew – Powdered Drink Mix Please place donated items in box located in the narthex.

DURING THE TIME THAT REDEEMER is without a regular pastor, if you are in need of pastoral care, we ask that you call the church office. If it is an after-hours emergency, please contact Pastor Kruse, vacancy pastor at 320-262-3499 or 320-220-0097 or Pastor Friedrich, visitation pastor at 320-214-0132 or 320-894-6315, or one of the Elders.

TAKE-OUT CHURCH REFILLS for your take-out boxes will be available at the welcome desk in the narthex on Sunday, July 3 & 10. These refills are filled with new activities and devotions for your family to do the next 4 weeks of summer. Never got a take out church box? Please take a refill bag anyways with a Flat Jesus. Remember don't forget to keep sending us your flat Jesus pictures using #redeemerflatjesus. HEAVEN CAN WAIT The teacher gathered her Sunday School class around her and exclaimed, “Well, class, all those who want to go to heaven, please raise your hands!” One boy didn’t raise his hand. “Henry, don’t you want to go to heaven?” the teacher asked. “I can’t,” Henry replied. “My mom wants me to come straight home after church.”

THANKS TO ALL our congregational members who gave of their time, talent and monies to make our remodeling project a success. With the generous contributions, we were able to cover the cost of items not in the contractor’s bid such as; lighting, communion cushions, furniture, coffeemakers, and lettering. We can’t thank you enough for your generosity. The project was completed on time and within budget. Our thanks and blessing, Building Committee and Stewardship Committee

CARD OF THANKS! Pastor Robert and Irene Friedrich thank you for greetings, cards and gifts for our 50th wedding anniversary. We are grateful to the Triune God for blessings too numerous to count and His daily grace and mercy. To Him be thanks and praise!

Ol’ TIME ICE CREAM SOCIAL *

GOTTES ACKER - Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery

2 miles North and ¼ miles West of Raymond, MN

August, 14, 2016; 2 PM to 5 PM

This event is to show dedication of the completed renewal project of the cemetery, to include a plaque, and appreciation for all the volunteer workers for their time and equipment. This effort, which took 2 years to complete, was a joint project with past Trinity members and their families and Redeemer Lutheran Church. A picture of the first cemetery is shown here and is also in the Redeemer Church Directory. ICE CREAM and cones will be provided so bring your favorite toppings, pies, cookies and/or bars. Bring your own beverage and lawn chair. Also, bring your favorite lawn game and we will try to make room for a Croquet or Bocce Ball game. For questions, call Leon Schultz, 320-248-7466 or Bill Paterson, 320-220-2588.

*If inclement weather, this event will be postponed.

TWO-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN Every Christians goal in life should be to read the entire Holy Bible. This plan will take you through the Old and New Testament in two years, and through the Psalms and Proverbs four times. July 1 2 Samuel 17 – 18 Proverbs 28

July 2 2 Samuel 19 – 20 Proverbs 29 July 3 2 Samuel 21 Proverbs 30 July 4 2 Samuel 22:1 – 23:7 Proverbs 31:1 – 9 July 5 2 Samuel 23:8 – 39 Proverbs 31:10 – 31 July 6 2 Samuel 24 Psalms 1 July 7 Catch-up Day Psalms 2 July 8 Catch-up Day Psalms 3 July 9 1 Kings 1 – 2 Psalms 4 July 10 1 Kings 3 – 4 Psalms 5 July 11 1 Kings 5 – 6 Psalms 6 July 12 1 Kings 7 Psalms 7 July 13 1 Kings 8 – 9 Psalms 8 July 14 1 Kings 10 – 11 Psalms 9 July 15 1 Kings 12 – 13 Psalms 10 July 16 1 Kings 14 Psalms 11 July 17 1 Kings 15:1 – 16:20 Psalms 12 July 18 1 Kings 16:21 – 17:24 Psalms 13 July 19 1 Kings 18 – 19 Psalms 14 July 20 1 Kings 20 – 21 Psalms 15 July 21 1 Kings 22 Psalms 16 July 22 Catch-up Day Psalms 17 July 23 Catch-up Day Psalms 18 July 24 2 Kinsg 1 – 2 Psalms 19 July 25 2 Kings 3 – 4 Psalms 20 July 26 2 Kings 5 – 6 Psalms 21 July 27 2 Kings 7 – 8 Psalms 22 July 28 2 Kings 9 – 10 Psalms 23 July 29 2 Kings 11 – 12 Psalms 24 July 30 2 Kings 13 – 14 Psalms 25 July 31 2 Kings 15 – 16 Psalms 26

SERVING GROUPS We have monthly serving groups and a list is posted on the church office window.

Please check your phone number for accuracy or if you’re not on the list and would like to be, contact the church office. Please help out when your co-chair calls.

JULY

Lila Rekedal – 320-235-9218 Heather Petersen – 320-444-8450

Randy & Jill Augustin

Ken & Alix Behm Mark & Amy Boeschen

Kristine Carlson Michelle Corti Chris Dahline

Wayne & Kelly Dahlke Larry & Vickie Eisenlohr Marv & Sharon Erdelt

Melanie Garberich Dohn & Jenny Harpestad Bill & LeeAnn Houselog Shane & Brooke Jensen Clarence & Violet Klucas

Steven & Christine Kurtzbein Robert & Judy Linhoff

Donald & Eleanor Perschau Craig & Heather Petersen

Bob & Lila Rekedal Jose & Wendy Reyes

Milton & Marcella Sadd Leon & Carole Schultz

Lyle Smith Wayne Streich

AUGUST Lori Schroeder – 320-974-8314

Cassie Drenkow – 608-387-5246

Mary Ann Bacon Matt & Teresa Behm Art & Elaine Bolland

Carol Dahlke Cassie Drenkow

Lyle & Kathy Eisenlohr Darv & Donna Gast

Scott & Rachel Grewe Trudy Hemingway

Russ & Rachel Jeppesen Jim & Cari Kardell Eileen Klinghagen

Dave & Tamara Knapper Jason & Jennifer Landin

Dennis & Charlene Loose Michelle Marotzke

Wayne & Laurie Nelson Bill & Sandy Peters

Chris & Jeanne Reznecheck Michael & Kay Sandau John & Lori Schroeder Loren & Judy Schultz Tim & Denise Smith Curt & Deb Swart

Don & Birdie Urban

Minnesota North District – LCMS Prayer Calendar

July 2016 “Partners in Mission and in Prayer with…”

CLASSIC CAMP AT LUTHERAN ISLAND CAMP This is the way camp has been for three generations and we've set aside some of the best weeks of the summer for them. It is based on kids having lots of fun doing many different activities. The list of things to do includes: archery, basketball, softball, disc golf, swimming, boating, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, volleyball, and more. Classic Camps include a great Bible Study, sing-a-longs, devotions, cookouts, skit night, canteen, and crafts. Horseback riding will be an option available for campers. The Biggest is a special celebration with big events, big activities, and big treats.

Ages: 7-11 Dates and Costs: #1-June 26-July 1 ($295) # 2-July 24-29 “The Biggest” ($335) # 3-August 14-19 ($265) Deposit:$75

2016 ELDER – RESPONSIBILITY Elder Phone# Household Names

01 Mark Sellmann 235-0075 Akerson – Bokelman 02 Michael Sandau 894-0637 Bolland – Davis 03 Stan Skaro 599-4506 Derksen – Grewe 04 Ron Jaspersen 354-5083 Grothe – Jacobson 05 Leon Schultz 248-7466 Jagow – Kruse 06 Doug Jorschumb 235-5451 Kubasch – Meyer 07 Neil Buboltz 796-2352 Mikkelsen – Phillips 08 Wayne Dahlke 262-9847 Pitt – Schoumaker 09 Jeff Kimpling 235-5373 Schroeder – Streich 10 Dave Runke 235-9068 Stueckrath – Zetah

THE MINNESOTA NORTH DISTRICT 27th Biennial Convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League was hosted by Redeemer’s LWML on June 20-22nd. Thank you for all the willing hands that worked and made this convention a success.

The 2016-2018 Mission Goal was set at $137,000 for Minnesota North District. The National LWML will receive one-fourth of this and the rest will stay in Minnesota North District to fund the following projects.

The 2016-2018 Mission Grant Selection are as follows: 1. Scholarships for Men Preparing for Ordination-$15,000 2. Scholarships for Full-Time Church Work Students-$50,000 3. Orphan Grain Train-$9,000 4. Lutheran Island Camp’s Christ Serve Academy-$10,000 5. Caring for Our Pastors-$10,000 6. C.R.O.S.S. Appeal-$14,000 7. Gloria Dei School and Church Building in Cap Haitian, Haiti-$15,000 8. Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch Chapel Furnishings-$5,000 9. Love Works! Lutheran Braille Workers-$5,000 10. Bible Translation Field Testing-partial funding

The second Sunday of each month Redeemer’s Mite Box is set out. It will take a lot of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, but with everyone’s help the goal will be met. Praise God From Whom all Blessings Flow! IF YOU HAVE ANY USED BACKPACKS, there is another project waiting for them. I am helping a friend of mine pack backpacks for homeless in Duluth and also she will be giving backpacks filled with school supplies to school kids living in

homeless shelters this fall. If you have any that you are willing to part with please leave them in the church office. Thanks and God Bless! Jon Friton

WE HAVE 17 TICKETS left yet for the Stinger’s game on Thursday, July 21st. They will be $5.00 per person and include the game ticket and a food voucher. Sign-up on the sheet located on the church office window. PLAYGROUND & POPSICLES Redeemer Lutheran Church will have their playground open for the neighborhood on these Wednesdays from 4-8 pm:

July 6 - July 20 - August 3 - August 17

If there are any adults willing to help supervise on these evenings please text Rachel at 320-220-7332.

PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS the following 27 youth and 6 adult leaders who will be traveling to New Orleans on July 14-21 for the National Youth Gathering:

Youth Amiah Akerson Jon Barber Gaborick Bolstad Kaitlin Danzeisen Heidi Fernandez Jordan Freiberg Ethan Friton Ethan Gustafson Kendra Hammerschmidt Kourtney Hammerschmidt Cole Helfinstine

Tucker Helfinstine Molly Jeppesen Sarah Jeppesen Laura Kassel Isaac King Ashlyn Leindecker Kolby Lindquist Korissa Lindquist Jacob Meyer Tanner Mord Jason Schoumaker

Heidi Sellmann Luke Sellmann Justin Sik Abby Stauffenecker Lauren Wubben Leaders Katherine Bolstad Dave Danzeisen Cassie Drenkow Jon Friton Rod Lindquist LeAnn Stauffenecker

OPEN HOUSE BRIDAL SHOWER

for Jana Beckmann July 23, 2016 2pm- 5pm

Redeemer Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall

THE DIARY OF A BIBLE

January 1 -- Family has made New Year's resolution to read me every day. They read Matthew 1.

January 15 -- Been resting quietly for a week. The first few nights they read me regularly, but evidently have forgotten me.

February 11 -- Owner used me for short time. He was asked to substitute for Bible class and had to look up some verses during breakfast. Went to Bible class, but was put in car between services.

March 7 -- Spring cleaning going on. I was dusted and put in old place. Had been in owner's car for several weeks.

April 20 -- Grandma here for visit. In her lap all afternoon. She spent most of her time on I Corinthians 13 and also chapter 15.

April 21,22,23 -- Read by Grandma every afternoon this week.

May 4 -- I have a few green stains on my pages. Some early Spring flowers pressed in me.

June 18 -- I look like a scrapbook. They have stuffed me full of clippings from the newspaper. One of the girls got married.

July 27 -- Packed in suitcase with clothes and other things. Off on a vacation, I guess.

August 10 -- Still in suitcase, though nearly everything else has been taken out.

August 14 -- Home again. Put me back in my old place. Quite a journey, though I do not see why they wanted me to go.

September 29 -- They used me once today. One of them is quite sick. Right now I am shined up and on the center of the coffee table. I think the preacher is coming over.

October 19 -- Have lots of company on table. A comic book, TV Guide, Time magazine, and a Movie World are on top of me. Wish I were read as much as they are.

November 11 -- Owner came home from worship services today upset about something the preacher had said. Snatched me up to hunt for a verse, but never could the one he was looking for.

December 26 -- Family got new TV set. Shelf I am on needed a bit more room so they put me in a cabinet. Expect to get out around January 1st. --- Author Unknown

Tell me, how would the Diary of your Bible read?

THE CAMBODIAN MISSION PROJECT UPDATE BY STEPHANIE BEHM

Update on the mission - I placed the order for the 900 notebooks and pens and 1800 pencils this week. They should arrive shortly. I was able to bring 2 boxes of backpacks with me when I came (100 backpacks). My husband, Mike, will be leaving the States toward the end of June bringing with him about another 150 backpacks/drawstring bags. The rest of the backpacks we will purchase for just for $3 each in Phnom Penh. We have been in contact with the schools we aim to serve in an area called Kampot. We will be going to 3 schools and one church. The church is a building that has a roof from what I understand and the person who runs the church isn't an actual pastor in the American sense. He is a believer in Christ armed with a Bible who shares the word of God with no formal training. He heard about our mission and sought us out. It turns out he would like to come to the schools we are serving and help teach the kids about God Considering I was having a little trouble breaking down how to talk to someone about God who has never heard about Him and make things simple, it was an undertaking. Even for the Pastors in the US who were helping me out. But, as my mantra has been for the last few months and even now, "God will provide" and He surely has. Everything has been coming together so well. And with every decision, every part of planning, I just let the Lord lead me. In addition, since we have money in the budget left over after serving 900 kids - I'm thinking it would be a nice thing to give each of the teachers at the school $15-30 because they don't get paid much - and we all know how hard teachers work and how much patience they have to possess to do their job! $15-30 is a life changing amount of money here for a while, it would provide food for a family for 3 months... and I would love nothing more than to reward the teachers here for all of their hard work and guidance to the kids by relieving some financial stress, at least for a while, and for them to not wonder where their next meal is going to come from and how they're going to feed their kids. As for our personal journey, the flight here went great. My dad, the kids, and I survived! It was 27 hours total. And Arianna was a lap "infant" on the plane (30 lbs), so with all her climbing, jumping, sleeping, and moving, my body hurt so much when we got to Cambodia! But there was only a 30 minute meltdown on our flight from MSP-Seattle. The rest of the way the kids were great. We've been in the town where my parents live, Sihanoukville, since we got here and will plan to stay here until Mike arrives later this month. We take the kids to a beach just about every day, their first time ever. We went down to the Kbal Chhay waterfall yesterday. And today we are going to the Navy Base my dad was stationed at when he and my mom made their escape from Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge era (I will give a short version of their story at the end). We have had a lot of family and friends come to visit and everyone has taken a liking to my kids. They say the kids have faces like movie stars. :) So a couple things that I've experienced in Cambodia thus far is that the amount of poverty here breaks my heart. Some of the living conditions make me want to cry and I'm constantly seeing kids run around without shoes because their parents can't afford them. Some of the kids have tattered clothes and the young ones just roam around naked. I truly believe that God brought me here to open my eyes to how much good here I can do. When He gave me the vision of doing mission/humanitarian project here, I was unsure about it. But now experiencing it first hand, I know that this is my calling. God wants me to serve the people of Cambodia. What also hits home too is that living here and growing up here could've easily been me. But my parents escaped the war... and

God brought them to the US. The people here are awesome, so friendly and respectful. I get a lot of comments of, "what? You're 100% Cambodian? Why are you so tall?!" My answer is "American nutrition" hahahaha. No other way to explain it. My parents are just a few inches over 5 feet. My Khmer (Cambodian) language skills are in tact, despite not ever using it. I'm surprised I remember so much of the language. Communicating with people has been pretty easy. The kids are picking up the language too, which is awesome. We've just been getting settled and trying to get used to the 85-90 degree temps with 70+% humidity. The kids and I get cranky when we overheat (like most people), so I've been trying to find unique ways to cool them off. I push water and my Isagenix hydration stuff like a mad woman to make sure the kids get enough fluids. We've all adjusted to the time difference, but we get up around 5:30 am every day which means I go to bed around 9 pm every night. Ha ha. I'm on vacation... sort of, so I can do what I want. Nicholas broke down the other day and asked for a cheeseburger and fries, so I got it for him. I've never seen that kid so happy. It's been hard for the kids to get used to the food here, but slowly but surely they are. I update Facebook daily, or I try to and I post fun pictures on there. So if you're on FB, check it out. My parent's escape from Cambodia In 1975, Cambodia experienced a civil war... a war that the world is generally unaware that even happened. Roughly half the population perished at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge sought power in Cambodia and felt that the way Cambodia was going to prosper again was by ambitious agricultural goals. So, they forced everyone out of Phnom Penh, executed those who would not or could not leave, and moved everyone out to the countryside. There, they worked the people 14 hour days in the fields, feeding them only spoonfuls of rice per day. They also took young children away from their families and trained them as soldiers. I have heard accounts of people who lived through these atrocities that the kids were even told to kill their own parents. To this day, they are still uncovering mass graves so it's hard to tell how many people died. It's horrifying to even think about. My parents were down in Sihanoukville when the evacuation of Phnom Penh happened because my dad was a navigator in the navy. There were 3 US navy ships stationed where they were at because Cambodia was the staging point for a lot of the Vietnam War attacks. My dad and his buddies "borrowed" the navy ships and loaded them up with as many people as possible. No one took anything with them and they expected to be back to Cambodia in a few days. For my parents and many others, it was 20 years before they returned to Cambodia. From Cambodia they sailed to Thailand, but Thailand did not want political refugees. So they turned around and set sail for the Philippine Islands. My mom gave birth to my older brother a day after they landed in the Philippines. A couple weeks later, my parents were told they could not go back to Cambodia because it wasn't safe. So they were given a choice, go to the US or go to France. They chose the US and were sent to a refugee camp in Pennsylvania. From there, a church in Bloomington, Emmaus Lutheran, sponsored my parents to MN. Now, my parent didn't speak English and had no idea what they were getting themselves into... especially the winters. But, they came to MN where they were greeted by the pastor of the church, his family, and members of the congregation. There were many people who taught my parents English, helped them find jobs, and got them on their feet.